October 23 – Nanning China – The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (FAH) has officially launched the first China-ASEAN cross-border medical cooperation platform powered by Microsoft Intelligent Cloud technology and architecture. The platform will service patients from across ASEAN to tackle the uneven distribution of medical services across the region, particularly in remote areas.
As a member of the China-ASEAN International Medical Technology Cooperation Hospital, FAH hopes that the platform will contribute significantly to medical cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.
“Powered by technology from industry leaders including Microsoft, the China-ASEAN cross-border medical cooperation platform will transcend physical geography and language to establish long-term cooperation, and provide health management and the sharing of medical resources with ASEAN member countries,” said Chen Junqiang, President of the First Clinical Medical College and FAH.
“We believe that this will be a great step for medical evolution, and look forward to strengthening our partnership with Microsoft to fully leverage their technical capabilities in intelligent cloud. Ultimately, improving the platform and establishing a robust foundation for future innovations,” Chen continued.
In November 2019, Microsoft announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a strategic cooperation with FAH. As part of the MOU, Microsoft was to help FAH build an IT system anchored in Microsoft’s industry-leading technologies leveraging the power of cloud computing, AI, big data, IoT, and healthcare industry solutions. This led to the introduction of the first China-ASEAN cross-border medical cooperation platform, providing comprehensive, full-cycle health management services and medical resource sharing to ease the strain of uneven medical services supplied across the region.
“Microsoft is actively collaborating with leading healthcare organizations to empower digital transformation. The cooperation between Microsoft and FAH is a milestone within Microsoft’s strategy for the medical industry,” said Horace Chow, Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft China.
“Moving forward, we will continue to work with FAH to promote the implementation of the cross-border medical platform, as well as a medical imaging data platform and cross-border medical training center, to help hospitals fully harness the advantages of technology and talent. We hope to eventually strengthen the China-ASEAN medical ecosystem to enable more ASEAN countries to mutually benefit from high-quality medical services,” explained Chow.
When COVID-19 broke out, the platform played a significant role in fighting the pandemic. On 26 May 2020, FAH, assisted by Microsoft, hosted the “China-ASEAN International Video Conference for COVID-19 Prevention and Control” to strengthen regional cooperation and response to COVID-19.
Using Teams and Azure translation tools, the session empowered medical experts to share insights on tackling COVID-19. It was also the first time FAH had a live video conference with more than 50,000 people watching it online.
FAH went on to share “the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University experience for COVID-19 prevention” with other ASEAN countries, as well as organized seven other global online sessions, including the English version of the “COVID-19 Prevention Experience”.
Meanwhile, FAH’s infectious disease experts were sent to Cambodia for a 15-day anti-pandemic stint. All of which would not have materialized without the help of Microsoft’s technology and collaboration, which enabled the following:
- One Microsoft Solutions: Leveraging Microsoft Azure, FAH enabled over 300T storage for medical images. Moreover, the cross-border medical platform, deployed on Azure, ensured a consistent experience both in China and regionally, by synchronizing data and applications of Dynamics 365 in real time on the domestic Azure platform. This ensures that patients are consistently provided with high standards of care.
- Data-driven patient care: Powered by Dynamics 365, the Dynamics Health360 solution improves the end-to-end patient experience with data insights while keeping all patients’ data depersonalized, and accelerating the hospital’s cross-broader communications and collaborative transformation efforts.
- Experience sharing to help fight COVID-19: Microsoft has been continuously sharing their experience in best practices and technical scenarios to help fight COVID-19, supporting better cooperation between FAH and the ASEAN countries.
- Strengthening the eco-system and regional impact in ASEAN: Microsoft has provided unparalleled security allowing FAH to expand its relations with other ASEAN countries in the most efficient and secure way.
Moving forward, Microsoft, together with its network of medical institutions and partners, will continue to promote the advancement of the healthcare industry technological innovation, as well as encourage digital transformation to improve medical efficiency and quality of life.
The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University will continue to provide high-quality medical treatment and health management extension services and hopes to implement a “Community of Human Health” by bridging medical resources between China and ASEAN countries. It hopes that this cooperation will facilitate the growth of a robust medical ecosystem that will provide end-to-end patient services beyond borders.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
About the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University
The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, founded in 1934, is part of China’s top 100 hospitals, and is a Class-A tertiary comprehensive hospital, national civilized unit, national advanced healthcare unit, national trusted demo hospital, national baby-friendly hospital, national Chinese medicine demo hospital, and Guangxi province’s center for clinics, medical education, medical research, medical care and disease prevention.
